Clamp.



M. TAYLOR.

CLAMP.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 23. 1915.

Patented Apr. 3, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Mini-WE J. M. TAYLOR.

CLAMP.

APPLICATION FILE'D NOV.23, I915.

Patented Apr. 3, 1917.

2 snssrs-gnm 2.

L fur am t WW/ CLAMP.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN M. TAYLOR, a citizen. of the United States, residing at Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Clamps, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to clamps, the object of the invention being to provide a device of this nature which can be operated with ease and facility, which is thoroughly strong and which will hold the work rigid.

In the drawlngs accompanying and forming part of the present specification I have shown in detail one convenient form of embodiment of the invention which I will fully set forth in the following description. I do not restrict myself to this particular disclosure; I may depart therefrom in several respects withinthe scope of the invention defined by the claims following said description. 1

Referring to said drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan view.of a clamp involving my invention.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal'sectional view of the same.

Fig. '3 is a longitudinal section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction 9f the arrow.

Fig. 4 is an end elevation as seen from the left in 1, and,

Fi 5 is an end elevation as seen from the right in said Fig.- 1, of said clamp.

Fig. 6 is a horizontal section on anenlarged scale .of the automatically locking jaw, a part of each of the rods showing.

Like characters refer to like parts throughout the several views.

I prefer to provide two jaws such for instance as those denoted in a general way by 2 and 3 respectively. In the present case the jaw 2 is manually operable or adjustable, and while-the" jaw 3 is manually settable, it has in connection with it means of a suitable nature whereby it can be locked automatically in the requisite position. Any suitable means may be provided for supporting and guiding the two jaws. For this purpose I have shown theparallel rods 4 and 5 the rods extending through the (jaws and the latter being slidable on the ro s.

The jaw 3 as shown] is chambered which 7 presents a. convenient way for receiving lockin means. Thelocking means may vary radically, although the plates 6, 7, 8 and 9 Specification of Letters Patent.

' lPatentedApr.3, 1l91't'.

Application filed November 23, 1915. Serial No. 639%.

answer satisfactorily in this. connection,

there being illustrated-two pairs of plates.

The plates 6 and 7 cotiperate and have perforations which receive the rod 4:. The plates 8 and 9coact and are likewise perforated to receive the rod 5. The perforations or holes in the respective pairs of plates are at approximately right angles to the longitudinal axes thereof and in diameter are greater than the diameters of the respective rods which permitsthe tipping of the plates so that they can be moved alternatively to locking and releasing positions as will hereinafter appear. .7 The inner plates 6 and 8 fulcrum on their "inner surfaces midway of the length thereof against the bearings 10 and 11. The jaw 3 has interiorly the sockets 12 to receive the protractile .or push springs 13. These springs bear at their outer ends against the bot toms of the respective sockets and at their inner ends against the outer plates 7 and 9 so as to tip the plates on thebearing portions 10 as shown in Fig. 2 for example.

It will be clear that the perforations in the respective locking plates 6, 7, 8 and 9 are to the outer sides of the axes of motion of the-respective plates and that the springs bearagainst said outer sides. The consequence is that the springs automatically constantly tilt the plates to the position shown in Fig. 2 where the walls of the perforations or holes in the plates can bite against the rods 4 and 5 to an extent suflicient to effectually preclude accidcntal movement of the jaw 3: In fact when the locking plates are set, it is practically impossible to move the jaw 3. Said jaw 3 is represented as straddled by the part 14' constituting a suitable manipulating member and which may have an actuator as 15 rigid therewith. For instance the two parts might be riveted together. The outer side of the jaw 3 has a slot 16 through which this actuator 15 projects,- the actuator normally engaging the inner ends of the two outerplates and 9. Through theactuator 15 and through the branches of the forked manipulating member 14, the rivet 17 may extend, the rivet .projectingthrough slots 18 elongated in the direction of movement of the actuator 15.

In Fig. 6 the locking plates 6, 7, 8. and 9 are shown asbeing in their locking relation by full lines, the manipulating member 14 and actuator 15 bein in their retracted positions also in full l1nes'. To release the jaw .3, the following procedure may be I adopted: The manipulating member 14 is gagement with the plates 7 and 9 will move said plates 7 and 9 inward and the latter in turn will cause a like movement of the plates 6 and 8, the motion continuing until the several locking plates are at approximately right angles to the guide and supporting rods 4 and 5 as shown by dotted lines in said Fig. 6. This brings the perforations in the pairs of locking plates into register and the walls of the perforations practically free of the rods 4 and 5, thus freeing the jaw 3 so that the latter can be easily slid along said rods. When the jaw is in the necessary position, the manipulating portion 14 is released at which point the springs 13 acting against the outer sides of the plates 6, 7, 8 and 9 immediately move said plates to the full lineposition in said Fig. 6 so that the walls of the perforations in the plates can bite against the two rods to firmly secure the jaw 3 in its adjusted position.

The supporting and guide rods 4 and 5 as shown are maintained in parallelism and in rigid relation with each other in some suitable manner as by the bridge or cross piece 19 which may consist of substantially duplicate sections connected as by rivets 20, the sections of the bridge piece having grooves 21 which mate with each other and which receive the bent end portions 22 of the rods 4 and 5.

To efl'ectthe adjustment of the jaw 2, the nut 23 and screw' 24 may be provided, the threads of the two as illustrated being lefthanded threads. The nut 23 has a circumferential channel or groove 23 to receive the projecting portion 25 which at its sides abuts against the walls of said groove 24. This construction provides for the free turning of the nut but prevents the movement of the nut in the direction of its axis of rotation or in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the screw 24. The inner end 26 of the screw is plain, the plain portion being driven into a socket 27 in the outer side of the jaw 2 and the stock of the jaw being swaged as at 24 into the groove of the thread of .the

screw 24. It, therefore, follows that if the nut 23 be turned, the screw 24 will be endwise moved to therebyetfect corresponding movement of the jaw 2, the direction of movement of the jaw depending upon the direction in which the nut 23' is turned. As represented the nut has an outward exten-' sion 28 perforated to freely receive the sides of the loop-like handle 29. This handle is made of the necessary stock and is doubled on itself to present a loopclosed at one end and open at the .other,'the sides of the open loop being in parallelism and extending through the bores in the nut-extension or projection 28. After the open loop is thus connected with the nut or its extension, the open end thereof is closed, the loop where the sides thereof abut when closed being covered by the split tubular member 30. It

will be clear that the handle or loop 29 can be freely moved oppositely so that either end thereof is accessible for turning the nut 23 to efi'ect the action of the screw 24 and hence of thejaw 2,

. As may be inferred the clamp is susceptible of general use. It will be assumed that it is to be used for clamping together two previously glued together pieces of work. In this case the jaw 3 is freed from the supporting and guide rods 4 and 5 by the inward movement of the manipulating member 14 in the manner already described after which the jaw 3 is moved along the rods until it is spaced from the companion jaw 2 a distance a little more than the width of the work at which point the manipulating portion 14 is freed so that the jaw 3 can be locked to said rods in the manner also previously set forth. Following this the rods 4 and 5 are brought over or under the work as may be required with the work received between the two jaws at which time the handle 29 is operated to, run the jaw 2 toward the cooperating jaw 3, so that the jaws can j ointly clamp the work.

The rod 5 it will be noticed is longer than the rod 4. The extended end of the rod 5 is equipped with a nut 5 constituting a suitable stop fitting the threaded portion 5 of said rod 5, the thread 5 being sufiiciently long as to permit the nut 5 to abut against the jaw 3 when the jaw is on both rods. There are cases where the stock should be received within the two jaws 2 and 3. In this event the nut 5 will be backed oif sufiiciently to permit the jaw 3 to be slid off the rod 4, and when the work is between the two rods, the jaw 3 will be fitted on the rod 4 and the nut 5 run forward until it abuts against the jaw 3.

What I claim is:

1..A clamp comprising a support, a jaw slidable on 'the support, a locking member directly supported by the jaw, spring means acting against the locking member to cause the latter to engage the support and thereby lock the jaw in an adjusted position, means independent of the work engaging portion of the jaw for moving the locking member to releasing position, a second jaw on the support, and manually operable means for causing the movement of the second jaw toward and from the first jaw.

2. A clampcomprising a pair of parallel rods, a chambered jaw slidable on the rods, locking plates in the chambered jaw having openings for the respective rods, springs act- .mg constantly against the locking plates to and means for moving the second hold the same in looking position, a part independent of the work engaging portion of the jaw supported outside the jaw and provided with means extending into the jaw to act against the locking plate to move the same to releasing position on movement of said part, a second jaw slidable on the rods,

ward and from the first jaw.

3. A clamp comprising a pair of parallel guide rods, a chambered jaw supported for slidable adjustment by the rods, plates in the chambered jaw perforatcdsfor the passage of the respective rods, springs inclosed by the jaw, acting constantly against the respective plates at their outer portions to normally force the plates yieldingly into locking engagement with the respective rods,

the plates between their ends fulcruming' against the jaw, a bifurcated member straddling the outer portion of the jaw, said jaw having a slot in its outer portion and the bifurcated member having a projecting portion extending into the jaw to engage the inner ends of the locking plates to move said locking plates to releasing position on a predetermined movement of the bifurcated member, a second aw through which the rods pass, and means for moving the second jaw toward and from the first jaw. 1

4:. A clamp comprising supporting and guide rods disposed in parallelism, a jaw slidable on said rods, means for locking said jaw in a predetermined position, a second jaw slidable on the rods toward and from the other jaw, a bridge piece in sections to receive the rods, and -means for fastening the sections of the bridge-piece together and for also holding the rods in place therebetween, a nut rotatively supported by the bridge piece between the sections thereof, the nut being peripherally grooved between its ends and the bridge piece having means extending into the groove of the nut to prevent movement of thelatter in the direction jaw toof its axis of rotation, and a manually operable screw threaded through the nut and having a rigid connection with said second aw.

5. A clamp comprising a pair of parallel rods, a chambered jaw slidable on the rods, locking plates in the chambered aw having openings for the respective rods, springs act- .ing against the outer ends of the locking plates and tending constantly to maintain the same in locking relation with the respective rods, the plates between their ends fulcruming against the jaw, the work engaging portion of the jaw being in constant fixed relation with the plate fulcrum parts of the jaw, means carried by the jaw to act against the inner portions of the plates to move the plates to releasing position, a second jaw carried by said rods, and manually operable means for moving said second jaw toward and from the companion jaw.

6. A clamp comprising a pair of parallel guide rods, a chambered jaw supported for slidable adjustment by therods, plates in the chambered jaw perforated for the passage of the respective rods, springs inclosed by the jaw, acting constantly against the respective plates at their outer portions to normally force the plates yieldingly into locking engagement with the respective rods, the plates between their ends fulcruming against the jaw, the inner face of the jaw being rigid with the body thereof, means supported by the jaw to engage the inner ends of the two plates and movable to simultaneously cause the two plates to free the rods, a second jaw through which the rods extend, and means for moving the second jaw toward and from the first jaw.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses. 

